Maryland’s Office of the State Fire Marshal has determined that an electrical malfunction in an exterior security light sparked Thursday’s fire at a La Plata nursing home, and has disclosed a second injury not previously reported: a police officer treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
Editor’s correction: This story previously identified the facility, per independent reporting, as Green Acres Nursing and Rehab. The Office of the State Fire Marshal’s official investigative document identifies it as Sage Point Nursing and Rehab Center, the name used going forward in our coverage; the facility appears to be known under both names.
OSFM personnel were called to Sage Point at 6:26 a.m. Aug. 28 and arrived to find La Plata Fire Department crews had already extinguished a fire in the attic of the facility’s fully occupied 300 wing. Fire personnel, local police, and staff evacuated 32 patients into another wing of the building.
One patient sustained a head injury during the evacuation and was taken to a hospital; that injury was reported in our initial coverage. New in OSFM’s update: a police officer at the scene was evaluated for smoke inhalation, treated, and released on site.
Investigators traced the fire to an electrical malfunction at an exterior security light on the building, which extended into the attic before firefighters put it out. OSFM’s update also detailed how the building’s safety systems performed: the fire alarm activated properly, and fire doors functioned as designed, containing smoke to the affected wing rather than letting it spread further through the facility. The attic space in the 300 wing is not protected by sprinklers, though OSFM confirmed all occupied areas of the building are.
OSFM said it has completed its origin-and-cause investigation but remained on scene working with the Charles County Health Department and local code officials to verify that all life-safety systems throughout the building are functioning properly — a step needed before the rest of the facility, beyond the affected wing, can remain occupied.
This story has been updated with findings from the Office of the State Fire Marshal’s investigation. Our original coverage of the fire, published Aug. 29, is available.
